Jaelen Strong: How does he fit Houston Texans?

Many people were surprised to see Jaelen Strong fall all the way down to the third round of the draft, but he fell because of his inability to gain separation at Arizona State. Strong is an extremely raw prospect who has just two full years of Division-I experience, and that’s why he often has trouble with his route-running. However, he made up for that by being an absolute monster in contested catch situations due to his strength and understanding of leverage, so even though he’ll most likely take lumps as a rookie, he could still be a huge factor in the red zone.

The Houston Texans were able to prevent Strong’s slide from going any longer, taking advantage of the fact that the Seattle Seahawks traded up for Tyler Lockett instead (though I would have preferred Lockett for any team, and that’s because I think Lockett is an underrated player who could have easily went in the first round).

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Strong’s last name is fitting for his playing style, but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to cut the mustard in the NFL. That said, he’s just 21, which means that those few years of youth make him more malleable for Bill O’Brien and the Texans. Back-shoulder throws are Strong’s best friend, and he can bail out quarterbacks in tight situations with his ball skills; just don’t expect him to get open on his own, as it takes good ball skills to hit him up.

Even though there are plenty of people out there who aren’t fans of Strong’s tape and believe his lack of quickness and route-running skills will prevent him from being more than a No. 4 guy in the NFL, I like this pick for the Texans. Wide receiver had to be their biggest need in the third round after spending picks on Kevin Johnson and Benardrick McKinney (trade up) in the first two rounds. The Johnson and McKinney picks look like home-runs, while the Strong one is a nice value pick that fills a huge need.

With Strong on the squad, the Texans wide receiver depth chart looks decent with DeAndre Hopkins locked in as a very good, playmaking No. 1., Strong presumably as the No. 2 (though that’s a pretty big “if” given his rawness), Cecil Shorts as a nice No. 3 with bounce-back potential in a better offense, and Nate Washington as a veteran No. 4 who is better at stretching the field than some think due to his consistency.

If Ryan Mallett is the starter, then I could see him having some fun with jump ball throws to Jaelen Strong, who has the athleticism and ball skills to come down with almost anything. He has great hands and plenty of potential, and he also has plenty of long speed to make big plays downfield. He’s the type of field-stretcher Mallett could really take advantage of, but Strong himself could be taken advantage of by press corners in his rookie season.

That said, the value, talent, and upside are clearly there, as Strong has all the tools to be a big-time playmaker in this league. A third-round pick for Strong? For a team that desperately needed a WR? I like that. Strong has Demaryius Thomas upside in him, and while it isn’t realistic to expect him to be a top-five receiver, I like his chances at becoming a nice No. 2 guy. He has a fair amount of bust potential, but that’s why he fell into the Texans laps in the third.

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